Congratulations to all the graduates. Way to go Class of 2022! Warmest congratulations to my daughter, Keilah Elizabeth Galiza on your graduation. You’ve worked hard to achieve your goals and amazed us with your accomplishments! You’re on your way to seek new dreams, so embrace life with passion and keep reaching for your star! I hope you feel great about what you’ve accomplished and I hope you’ll continue to be a person who does things that are worthwhile and important in life to make us proud. We are so proud of you. Love you, kiddo.
Let’s not forget that in June we also celebrate Father’s Day. We thank all the fathers for being able to celebrate last month’s Mother’s Day. This month, we thank all the mothers for being able to celebrate Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers and the father figures to the lives of the children. Thank you for your unconditional love and support you give to the children.
Let’s visit our friends Angel and Michael and see what’s going on with them this month, shall we?
Robert continues to pace back and forth as he stares at his phone. “OMG, Mikey, sitaw (where) are you?”
Literally one minute has elapsed since his last text message. He writes and sends another one. And clinches on the phone.
He calls again and there’s no answer.
“Hoy, hoy, hoy …” His wife snaps her fingers trying to get his attention. “Ano (What) is going on here?” she asks him with irritation.
“Oh, there you are. Do you remember the girl that Michael has been seeing?” he asks his wife.
“Yes, of course. I think that’s his nobya (girlfriend). She’s so gorgeous… so maganda (beautiful) young lady,” she says smiling.
“She might be a murderer,” Robert says.
Mila’s mata (eyes) widen. She is shocked and speechless.
“Yes, that was Ray who called. He was calling you but you didn’t answer your phone. He said she was last seen with the cop who went missing awhile back. Do you remember?
“No way!” Mila exclaims.
“Yes way!” he answers.
She turns around and rubs her arms, “I just got the chills.”
“Now I’m trying to call Mikey and he is not answering his #$%* phone.”
“Wow. I will try to call him,” Mila says confidently.
“Hani? (What?) You mean he would answer your call and not mine? Hindi (No) … Now, anni (what) is that all about?” The dad shakes his head.
“Hahaha,” she giggles.
“Well, you know… I am his nanay (mother) after all. And as you know, you’re not exactly the easiest person to talk to when you’re upset. Do you remember that time you flipped over the table because you lost when we were playing Monopoly?” she continues.
“Geez, Mila, huwag (don’t) even go there. Saan (Don’t) do this.” He rolls his mata (eyes) and walks towards the wine cabinet.
“I’m just saying. Do you remember when he came home with an F grade in Math?” her voice goes high to remind him about it.
“I know he stays home all day, all night long and barely comes out of the room and he can’t even get high marks on his assignments? Come on!” he answers proudly.
“Well then, there you go. You just answered your own question,” Mila answers, rolling her mata (eyes).
She calls Michael’s phone. “My little baby” shows Michael’s name on her iPhone.
“Ano? (What?) Geez,” she gives an eye to her husband who is peeking on her phone. “He is still my little baby… no matter how old he gets and starts to date Angel and never comes home because he would rather be with his kasintahan (girlfriend). I miss him so much,” she begins to sob.
Shaking the phone, the call goes to voicemail.
She calls again. And begins to panic.
“Mikey! Answer the phone. Tell me you’re still alive!” she exclaims.
Michael’s phone is on silent in his backpack in the backseat of the jeep. As he lays on Angel who is passed out from exhaustion, Angel creeps her mata (eyes) open as she feels a vibration nearby.
“Ano (What) is that? Something is moving, Michael,” she says softly as she remembers he fell asleep a while ago. She struggles to move without disturbing the big baby laying on her.
“Aggh … Someone’s head is so heavy. OMG, you must be so smart with a brain so large, I cannot even move,” Angel says.
She tries her best to maneuver to get a bit of space free from under him. He is in an awkward spot and he might fall over into the grass.
“Dili (No). I’ll just let him sleep,” she says.
She looks down at his semi-curly brown hair. “My hapa hero is trying to save the day but is knocked out like a baby,” she giggles.
She continues to feel the vibration and can’t help but fight the anxiety of saan (where) that buzzing is coming from.
“Is it his cell phone? But inno (where)?” she asks herself.
She tries to wiggle her kamay (hand) behind the seat but that doesn’t work. Her arms are way too short to touch even the back seat.
“Geezzz. Can this buzzing at least stop? I wonder who is calling him. I wonder if he has a nobia (girlfriend) who is looking for him. Ooh, Mister if you have an amiga (girlfriend) I’m so going to kill you. Oh ohhh …” she says to herself.
As she starts to visualize Michael with another girl, jealousy begins to creep in.
“Oh ya? Oh ya? You think?” she begins to answer her own thoughts. She looks at him and threatens to flick his ear. “You try it, I will kick your butt.”
The buzzing continues.
“Oh, somebody loves you so much ha?” she continues to mock. This is when her demeanor quickly turns bitter and she starts to talk to herself. “Angie, you didn’t even find out if he has a maanyag nobya (beautiful girlfriend) or a scary wife.
“Nanoyin (What) if he is married? And here you go hanging out with a man you ayaw (don’t) even know anything about his love life and you put your heart out there and ana (what) do you …”
The buzzing continues.
“ANO? (WHAT?) Why are you calling? I didn’t know he was taken! Ha! Actually. Technically, I’m not with him so you dili (don’t) have to worry about that. I kammu (don’t) know nokarin (where) we are going but …”
The buzzing continues.
Arrrggg!
Michael snorts mid-snore and startles Angel. She quickly stops her rant and places her kamot (hand) on his mukha (face).
“Shhh. … you didn’t hear any of that he he … but if you do, have a …” she says.
The buzzing continues …
“No! I can’t take it anymore!” She gently pushes him off just enough to free her hand and she lunges out toward his backpack. She stretches and her fingertips barely latch onto the strap of the bag. Angel clinches her hand to secure the bag. By this time she realizes she inadvertently pushed Michael’s head towards her crotch.
“Ayyyy! Bastos!” she says, as she lowers herself back down into his arms. With her is the backpack.
The buzzing continues.
“Okay missy. I will find you,” Angel blurbs out as she tears into the top main zipper of the bag and sticks her entire arm deep inside. Her kamot (hand) darts past the clothing and the Hydroflask following the buzzing … left past the notebook, right past the wallet. “Ooohhh, I wonder? Haan (No) focus Angie,” she reminds herself.
Follow the buzzing. Tapping into her Zen like powers she locates the buzzing phone.
“Ah ha!” she exclaims as she rips it out into the air and accidentally presses the green accept call button. “Who is …” she belts out as she finally realizes the “nobya” (“girlfriend”) turns out to be somebody else as the caller ID burns into her eyelids it reads “Mommy.”
“Michael!” the voice is coming in hot.
“Michael! Hello? San o (Where) are you? Hello?” the voice cracking
Angel freezes!
What do you think Angel is going to do or say?
Have you answered a phone call and just froze right there?
Anyways, that’s all I have. Keep an eye out for my column in every issue. I’m Dulce, helping you to master your Filipino languages. Like always, let’s laugh, let’s makinig (listen) and Let’s Talk Pinoy! Hanggang sa muli! (Until next time!) Ingat! (Take care!).
Dulce Karen Butay was graduated from Maui High School and received her Associate in Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Maui Community College. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, specializing in Accounting, from the University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu. She is currently the Administrative Officer at the County of Maui, Department of Finance. Butay is a licensed Resident Producer of Life Insurance with World Financial Group and an Independent Consultant of Saladmaster. She is now part of Saladmaster’s Travel Club and won an all-expenses paid trip to Cancún, Mexico. Butay has traveled to Texas, the Philippines and Thailand as one of the delegates from Island Healthy Solutions, a Saladmaster dealer here on Maui.